In general, large dogs have larger litters because, biologically, they are capable of doing so. Dog breed is the biggest determinant of litter size. In general, large dogs have larger litters because, biologically, they can safely carry more puppies. Age influences litter size.
As your mother ages, you should expect a decrease in the number of puppies being born compared to a younger dog. In general, this decline is observed in mothers of large breeds older than five years of age. It is not yet clear what causes this decrease, but there is speculation that it could be due to a decrease in the number of follicles or an abnormality in the mother's uterine lining. It could also be due to premature death of the embryo, which causes fewer offspring to reach term.
Normal litter size can range from 1 to 12 puppies, with 5-6 puppies on average across all dogs. But just as each dog breed differs in size, function and personality, they also differ when it comes to litter size, according to AKC registration data. Large dogs tend to have larger litters, while small dogs tend to have smaller litters, most obviously because the size allows larger dogs to have more puppies safely. Breeders will tell you that they get larger litters if x, smaller litters if y, that they will never mate with a dog if z.
I think that the timing of reproduction also matters in the factors that affect the size of the litter, as well as the case of the absorption or abortion of some fetuses by the mother and I would not know if the litter size can really be hereditary, I would like you to research more on this. Like the age of the dog, the first analysis of the data showed no significant change in litter size according to the mating method. I have a friend who also takes my puppies for a day, so they are exposed to being in different homes and they see different breeds of dogs, this usually happens around 8-9 weeks of age, although L'Ox stayed with her at 5 weeks when I had to attend a funeral and The Men In Black were there at 7 weeks while I was attending my brother's wedding. Dogs under the age of seven generally have smaller litters than older dogs, but they should never be raised too early or too old.
As a general rule, you should expect smaller litters in smaller dog breeds and larger litters in larger dog breeds. The size of a puppy litter can be influenced by many different factors, including random circumstances. Larger litters will most likely occur when the male dog is less than 5 years old, since it is easier for sperm to enter the female's eggs and most sperm are of higher quality. A decrease in average litter size of 0.4 puppies would be expected for litters conceived with AI with fresh semen and 1.3 for AI with frozen semen, both compared to natural mating.
If you have a commercial breeder or BYB whose dogs do not live in the house and the puppies are removed from their mother at a too young age, then the size of the litter does not matter. However, keep in mind that some small breeds can still produce large litters; the Pekingese, for example, can produce up to 10 puppies in a litter. A younger stallion is more likely to produce high-quality sperm, which in return can result in a larger litter size. Now, even if it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to actively determine and decide the size of your next puppy litter, several factors can more or less heavily influence the size of the dog litter.
The average number of puppies in a litter of German Shorthaired Pointer ranges from 8 to 12 puppies, but smaller and larger litters are expected. Let's say that for your breed the average litter size is between 8 and 12 puppies, some breeders want to help their mother reach 11, 12 or even 13 puppies. .
